MORNING MISTAKES

Monday, November 13, 2017

Have you tried everything under the sun to lose weight, but to no avail? It could be your morning habits that are to be blamed, says Gurjyot Kaur

Getting into shape is what everyone desires, but it isn’t a piece of cake. We’ve all tried to eat healthy and nutritious food, given up our favourite delicacies and replaced them with bizarre diets, and even tried rigorous workouts to shed those stubborn calories. So, what is it that’s stopping us from losing weight? Well, if you’ve been diligent about your eating habits during the day, it could be your morning habits that are responsible for the weight gain — or, at the very least, that hampers your weight-loss goals. Here are a few morning mistakes that people make, with advice on how to avoid them.

Binge-eating
This one is quite obvious, isn’t it? If you gorge on food in the morning, it may not matter that you are conscious about what you eat later in the day. But binge-eating is something else altogether. It is uncontrollable eating that you may not even realise you are doing. So when you wake up in the morning, track how much you eat for a week. You’ll be able to pin-point exactly how much you are eating and where you need to, and can, cut down.

Skipping breakfast
This is a go-to “solution” for many who want to lose weight, but it is the biggest mistake anyone can make! It’s a myth that skipping meals can lead to speedy weight loss. When your body doesn’t get sufficient nutrition — especially in the morning after a long gap — it goes into starvation mode, making you eat more and storing more of the food, leading to weight gain. If you prefer to eat light in the mornings, try eating fruits or oatmeal with fresh juice as your morning meals, but don’t skip breakfast altogether.

Drinking high-calorie drinks
Do you love your morning cup of coffee with loads of sugar? If you swear by your pick-the-entire-country-up, then here’s some bad news. High-calorie drinks such as coffee with sugar, even those with preservatives or sugar substitutes can adversely affect your ability to lose weight. Excess sugar will be converted into fat, and it can also create cravings. Instead, drink black coffee without sugar, flavoured green teas or warm water with lemon and honey, which can help you shed extra weight and which will refresh and rejuvenate you.

Oversleeping
While getting less sleep can be bad for your body — after all, sleep is a crucial part of your body’s cycle and is needed for proper functioning of practically all systems — sleeping too much can be bad for your BMI, according to a French study published in the journal PLOS One in 2014. The best way to ensure that you are getting sufficient and healthy sleep is to have set hours for bed-time. Make it a point to switch off your electronics and get into bed in order to try and nod off at about the same time every day.

Not getting enough sunlight
Waking up late in the morning means that you get less of the good sunlight that we learned about in school, the kind that helps our bodies produce vitamin D. According to a study conducted by researchers from The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, exercising outdoors in the morning sun can decrease stress and increase our energy levels. So, make sure you exercise early in the morning to get your dose of vitamin D.

QUICK SOLUTIONS
Here’s how you can manage your weight by incorporating simple habits as part of your daily routine.

Eat healthy: Instead of skipping meals, pick healthy foods. Eat healthy snacks such as fruits and nuts every two to three hours.

Stay hydrated: Drink at least two litres of water every day, as it helps to speed up your metabolism, which can help you lose weight.

Exercise: If you want to lose weight but don’t want to be hungry, make a plan that involves exercising for at least 30 to 40 minutes every day. To start with, try simple workouts such as brisk walking, climbing the stairs or yoga.

Don’t do other things while eating: We tend to over-eat if we eat our meals while watching television or reading.

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